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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. We're on a ________________ here.
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. The ________________ took off on time.
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  22. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  23. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. roll — on a roll
  2. row — a line
  3. wind — moving air
  4. roll — a cake
  5. season — in sport
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. plane — an aircraft
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. band — a music group
  13. row — to paddle
  14. nail — on a finger
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. season — of the year
  17. band — a ring
  18. perch — the fish
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. plane — in geometry
  22. plane — a tool
  23. roll — a list
  24. wind — moving air

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com